Door for trap nests



March 19, 1935. L. E. VAA

DOOR FOR TRAP NESTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 22, 1955 I n'uentor a4 awzgi Zawmz'wefi'Vd,

Attorney March 19, 1935. E, VAA

DboR F03 TRAP NESTS Filed NOV. 22, 1953 v 2 She ets-Shee't 2 InventorZawrerzmif Wka,

7 g Attomey Patented Mar. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES DOOR FOR TRAP YNESTSLawrence E. Vaa, Poulsbo, Wash. 1 Application November'22, 1933, SerialNo. 699,236

2 Claims.

i f This invention relates broadly to trap nests and tioned which maybereadily used either as a lock out-door or as a trap door; and also adoorof this character which may be mounted for use inconjunction withnests now installed requiring littleor no alterations to the old nest;and further a door which will be tripped by the hen entering the nest soas to automatically close ,behindthe hen.

The invention together with. its objects and advantages will be bestunderstood from a study of the following description .takenin'connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

. Figurefl is an elevationalview viewing the door from the outside ofthe nest, and showing the door'in closed condition.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2'ofFigure 1 and with the door in closed condition; i i

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the line 3--3of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional View taken substantially on the line44 of Figure 1 but with the door in open position.

Figure 5 is a View similar to Figure 1 but viewing the door, in closedcondition from the inner side of the door and Figure 6 is a fragmentarydetail sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals it will be seen that 10indicates generally the trap nest. The entrance and exit opening for thenest 10 is indicated by the reference numeral 11.

As previously set out the present invention is concerned especially withan improved door for closing the opening 11 and the door is indicatedgenerally by the reference numeral 12.

For mounting the door 12 there are provided two substantially U-shapedhinge-clips 13, 14 adapted to straddle the wall 10a of the nest at thelower edge of the opening .11, and these clips 13, 14 are formed from asingle length of wire a portion 15 of which connects the inside legs ofthe clips as suggested in Figures 4 and 5.

Cooperable with the clips 13, 14 are substantially triangular shapedbrackets 16, 17 which are, at one side thereof, secured to the top sideof the door 12 by U-shaped or other suitable type of fasteners 18. Thebrackets 16 and 17 at their enlarged ends are adapted to engage theoutside of the wall 10a in a manner suggested in Figure 4 for limitingswinging movement of the doors l2 downwardly and to an open position.These brackets 16, 17 are also formed from a single length of wire theends 19, 20 of which are bent inwardly towards one another and arejournalled in curved portions 21 provided in the clips 13, 14, as shownin Figure 4. With the ends 19, 20, thus journalled in the parts 21 ofthe clip an efiicient hinge is provided for the door 12.

For normally'urging the door 12 to swing upwardly to a closed positionthere is provided a spring. 22 disposed about one of the ends 19 andhaving. one end bearing against the. underside of the door 12 as at 23,and a second end 24 .bearing against the outside surface of the wall 10ain a manner suggested in Figure 1.

For releasably retaining the doorinthe open position, or the positionshown in Figure 4, one 'of the clips, in the present instance the clip14, has the outer legthereof extended downwardly beyond the fasteners 25and bent upwardly as at 26 to provide what may be termed a keeperforcooperation with the latch 2'7 on one of the brackets, in the presentinstance bracket 16, which at the junction of the vertical and inclinedportion 25 thereof is bent laterally outwardly as at 27 to engage underthe keeper 26 as suggested in Figure 4 ina somewhatautoma'tic manner,upon swinging movement of the door 12 to the open position or positionshown in Figure 4 for releasably retaining the door 12 in said openposition.

The wire from which the brackets 16, 1'7 are formed is so twisted orshaped as to connect the said brackets by a cross bar 28 that normallyextends above the door 12 as shown in Figure 4 so as to move downwardlyunder the weight of i a hen entering the nest in a manner to move thelatch 27 out of engagement with the keeper 26 whereby the door underaction of spring 22 will automatically swing upwardly to a closedposition relative to the opening 11 behind the hen.

In order to insure the utilization of the weight of the hen foreffecting this automatic release of the door there is provided a treadleplate 29 which is shaped or stepped as shown in Figure 4 to provide avertical part merging into an attaching flange 29a that isloosely'secured to the top of the door 12 at the hinge end thereof bystaples 29c, and a treadle flange or part 29b that overlies and normallyrests on the bar 28 as shown in 50 Figure 4. Obviously with the door inthe open position shown in Figure 4 the hen upon entering the nest willstep upon the part 291) of the treadle plate and the weight of the henwill cause the bar 28 to move downwardly for releasthe hook shaped endof a suitable latch member- 31 rockably mounted on the wall of the nest10 adjacent the opening 11 as at 32.'

The door 12 at the free edge thereof is provided with a notch 33 whichwill accommodate the head and neck of the hen in a manner to permit thehen to open the door when leaving the nest. In.

this connection it will be apparent that with the door closed and thehen is desirous of -passing from the nest the hen may pass its head andneck through the notch 33 in a manner to push the door downwardly andoutwardly to an open position. As the door thus swings to an openposition the hen is free to pass outwardly through the opening 11 andupon swinging of the door 12 to a fully open position the 1atch.27 willautomatically engage with. the keeper 26 in a manner to retain the doorin open position until the door is closed either manually or by there-entrance of the hen in a manner above suggested.

When it is desired touse the door as' a trap door so as to retain'thehen within the nest a cover plate 34may be brought into use for closingthe notch 33. The cover plate 34 is made ofmetal or other suitablematerial and is provided at its upper edge with a channel 35 thatengages the edge of thedoor 12 at the open end of the notch 33 in amanner to substantially close the notch. (See Figure 2.)

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:"

1. A nest of the character described having in combinationa wallprovided with an opening, U- shaped clipsstraddlingthe wall at .thelower edge of the opening, adoor for closing said opening, resilientbracket members for the. door secured thereto, and provided with pintlesjournalled in said clips for hingedly mounting the door on said wall,interengaging means on oneof said. clips and on one. of said bracketsfor releasablyretaining the door in an open position, and a 1 treadlemember mounted on the door and engageable with said latter bracket in amanner to release said inter-engaging means automatically by a henentering the nest, whereby thedoor'is released 'to hen.

swing-to a closed, position behind the- 2. A nest of the class describedhaving a front wall provided with an opening, a door for said opening,an integral clip structure including a pair of'spaced substantiallyU-shaped hinge clips straddling said wall at the lower edge of theopening,,an integral bracket structure for the door comprising a pair ofspaced parallel substantially triangular brackets secured to the doorand a- U-shaped connecting part adapted to extend vertica-lly' and inadjacent parallelism with' the wan when the door is inopen'position; andwith the closed end of the U projected-upwardly-from the plane ofthedoor, said bracket at the end thereof connected-by said -U'-sh'ape ipart"bein'g B5 provided with inwardly extending pi'ntles journalledinsaid clips for hingeclly supporting-the door from the wall at' thelower" edge oifsaid opening, anda treadlemember-mountedon-the door andhaving a part arrangedto engage said 30 V U-s'haped connecting part ofthe bracketst'ruc- I ture when the door is in open positiomandinterengaging latch =means "on' one of said clips and at the junction ofoneof the brackets and-the.

U-shaped connecting part of the 'bracket structure for releasablyretainingjthe'door in'open 'position, I said inter-engagingmeans beingdisen gageable by the weight of: 'thehen on the tregdle. to release the.door, and means engaged with the door to swing the same to a closedposition upon release of said'inter-engaging means.

